Internal-combustion engine



Jan., H6, 1923.

T E E H s s T E E. H S 2 a N m6 E9 .wl ml. 6 Om? GU B. C SwE CD CLD AENl.- Rl EF T N i MUM HIIIEI Parenteel am.; ie, ieee. 1,@295233 curr-ORDs. doar, or CLEVELAND, OHIO.

I .e INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE. ,I

Application ldd December 26, `1916. Serial No. 135,703.

To all/whom# may concern: j 1 In the accompanying sheet of drawings Beit known that I, CLIFFORD S. Gom',- a lwherein I have -shown thepreferred enicitizen of the United States,r residing at bodiment of myinvention, Fig. 1 isv a verti- Cleveland in the countykof Cuyahogaandcal longitudinal sectional view through one 5 State of hio, haveinvented a certain new cylinder of the engine; Fig. 2 is a top plan 60anduseful Improvement in Internal-Comview of the four-cylinder engineembodying bustion Engines, of which the following i's my invention,parts being i'n section and a full, clear, and exact description. partsbeing removed to show the construc- This invention relates toimprovements-in tion of the valves, their arrangement in the internal.combustion engines and has for its heads of the cylinders, the manner inwhich 65 object to provide an engine preferably of they are cooled andthe actuating mechathe rotary valve type which is efficient, s1lent nismtherefor; Fig. 3 is a partial sectional andotherwise satlsfactory inoperation, comview on an enlarged scale showing particupact, durable,easily machined and assemlarly the details of the valve and Aof thebled. Iparts immediately surrounding the same; 70

A still further object is to so arrange a Fig. 4 is a horizontalsectional View through rotary valve in the engine and to so conthe headof the cylinder liner; Fig. 5 is a Struct and assemble the parts whichare aS- side elevation of the cylinder liner removed sociated with thevalve and constituting the from the aluminum body or housing decasing orchamber therefor, "that the valve signed to receive it; Fig. 6 is a sideView of 75 will run smoothly and with little friction, is the valveremoved from the engine, portions effectively cooled andis not subjectedto the being broken away; Fig. 7 is a detailed secintense heat ofcombustion, a'nd is not a-ftional view substantially along the line 7-7fected by expansion or contraction due to of Fig..6; and Fig. 8 is aplan view of the temperature changes. two valve sectors removed. 80

More particularly, the invention aims to Referring now to the drawings,10 rep` provide an engine having aecylinderliner resents the body orhousing ofthe engine with an integral head forming the combuswhich canbe designed to vvcontain one o r any tion chamber and `adapted to beinserted in desired number of cylinders. In Fig. 2 I

the main engine casting or housing which have shown a housing adaptedfor four cyl- 85 may be of aluminum, so as to form between inders, thishousing being preferably an en the latter and the head of the liner ananbloc casting of aluminum. Into each cylnular space for the rotaryvalve. An adinder chamber of the housing 10 there is ditional specificobject is to arrange for inserted acast iron liner 11, which is pressedcooling both the inner and outer walls of down into the housing until aflange 12 of 90 the chamber or annular space which rethe liner Seats ona shoulder 13 of the housceives the valve, and to support the valve ing.The liner is then secured in position at its upper and'lower ends ontapered surby a ring or nut 14 which is screwed onto the faces while thecylindrical portions of the lower part of the liner until it abuts the40 valve proper run practically without con.- lower end of the housing,as sli/own in Fig. 1. 95 tact with either the inner or outer wall of Theliner is provided with an integral the chamber, the valve 'being thuscentered, head having an inner truncated conical wall and the taperedbearing surfaces as well as 15- which forms the combustion chamber 16,other elements embodied in or associated and in the upper end of whichis screwed a with the valve forming an efective seal bushing 17 whichreceives the spark plug 17, 100

against leakage either longitudinally or cir- The head is provided alsowith an outer cumferentially of the valve.. cylindrical wall 18 whichforms the inner/- 7 The above and other objects, advantages wall of thevalve chamber. Between the and desirable features Aare attained by mywalls 15 and 18 there is a water jacketing invention which may bebriefly summa`, space 19 and bridging this space and extend@ V105 rizedas consisting in certain novel vdetailsV ing from'the inner combustionchamber outof construction jand combinations and 4arwardlythrough thewall 18, are admission rangements of parts which will be described ,andexhaust passageways 20 and 21 which as in the specification and setforth in the aphere shown are arranged at an angle of '55 pended claims.about 125 with respect to each other. l ,M0

. presently.

The housing lO extends upwardly around the cylinder head just referredto, the portion above the flange' 12 being spaced from the cylinder headand forming the outer wall of the valve chamber. The housing is providedwith a water jacketing space 22 which extends up substantially to thetop of Ithel housing, and extending through the housng across this spaceis a gas inlet passageway 23 and an outlet or exhaust passageway 24which extend toward or register with the inlet and exhaust passageways20 and 21 in the hea-d of the cylinder liner and are adapted to beplaced in communication therewith by the rotary valve to be described Aswill be apparent from Fig. 2, the housing has one inlet passageway 23for each pair of cylinders as each passageway 23 communicates with theinlet passageways in heads of two adjoining cylinders while the housinghas a separate exhaust passageway 24 for each cylinder. It will beunderstood that the passageways 23 and 24 will be connected respectivelywith inlet and exhaust manifolds.

In the annular space between the wall 18 of each cylinder head and theouter surrounding wall of the housing is a rotary cylindrical valvewhich controls the admission to and exhaust of gases from the cylinder,the valve having in its side walls two oppositely disposed ports 25, 25,which successively place the inlet and exhaust passageways 23 and 24ofthe housing in communication with the combustion chamber of thecylinder head, the valve being rotated at such a speed that admissionand exhaust take place at just the desired instants and in properlytimed relationship with respect to the movement's of the piston which isshown at 26 in Fig. l.

The valve includes a cylindrical shell in the form of a valve body 27and a packingv which in many respects is similar to that constitutingthe subject matter of my prior application Serial No. 47,953, filedAugust 30, 1915, patented July 24, 1917, No. 1,234,- 460. The valve body27 while adapted to rotate between the inner and outer cylindricalsurfaces of the liner head and housing, does not engage said cylindricalsurfaces but is supported on and centered by two tapered surfaces at thetop and bottom of the valve, one being shown at 28 and being the top ofthe ange 12 previously referred to, and the other being shown at 29 andlocated at the upper outer part of t-he liner head. be seen from Fig. 3that between the cylinder head and the valve body is an annularclearance space. The tapered step bearing surfaces centralize or keepthe valve concentric with respect to the axis of the cylinder, and theyhold the valve in a position such that the clearance spacejust referredto may be maintained 'between rthe `cylinder-head and It will valvewit-hout liability of lateral movement between the 4valve and thecylinder-head. In the claims I do not limit myself to two of thesetapered step bearings for practice 'has shown that very goodresults canbe obt-ained with a single tapered step bearing, particularly whenarranged at the top of the valve, so as to supportI the weight of thevalve at the same time that it centralizes it.

The packing which surro-unds the valve body includes two sectors 30,each extending aboutl half-way around the valve body, sald sectors beingpressed yieldingly outward against a liner 31 inthe upper part of thehousing, by split spring rings 32 between the sectors and the valvebody. These sectors are held against rotary movement relative to thevalve body by lugs or other abutments 33 (see particularly Fig. 7),although they may otherwise move relative to t e valve body due toexpansion or contraction or by any inequalitiesin t-he valve chamber,

it being observed from Fig. 3 that. there is-A normally a slightclearance space between the inner surfaces of the sectors and the valvebody. These sectors or sector plates are provided with port openingswhich register with port openings formed in the valve body to form theports 25, 25, reviously referred to, and they are. provied also withlongitudinally extendingigrooves 34 which prevent leakage ofgas"circumferentially and distribute the lubricant evenly over thesurfaces of the valve. The grooves also render the sectors more flexiblein action.

For the purpose of preventing leakage of gasv longitudinally of thevalve, the valve body is provided above and below the sectors with splitspring rings 35 which engage the inner surface of the valve chamberliner 31. Additionally the upper part of the cylinder liner head isprovided with grooves in which are seated split spring rings 36. Theserings together with the tapered bearing surfaces form a very effectiveseal against leakage longitudinally of the valve. The packing rings 35and 36 preferably consist of spring channel shaped rings containing asuitable composition packing` suc-h as asbestos soaked in graphite.

The valve for each cylinder is provided at its upper end with a drivinggear 37, the gear being preferably formed by cutting the teeth directlyin the enlarged upper end of the valve body. Each gear meshes withthe-gear of the adjoining valve forming a train which is driven b-y apinion 38 which engages one of the larger gearsA and is secured to theupper end of a vertical shaft which extends downwardly and Ywill bedriven by suitable mechanism from the crank shaft;

The upper part of the engine including' of the Yaluminum engine housingand is securely bolted both to the housing and to the several heads ofthe cylinder liners. It will abe observed that this cap is provided witha water jacketing space 41 which communi- Cates with the Water jacketingspace 19 in the headV of each cylinder liner as shown in Fig. 3 andcommunicates also with the jacketing space 22 in the housing throughtriangular shaped openings 22a shown in Fig. 2. It may be stated at thispoint that there will be a good circulation of cooling medium throughthe upper part of the motor where the greatest heat is encountered, thecirculation taking place through the housing surrounding the cylindersand liner heads, and also through the individual liner heads and uppercap 40. In addition to the water jacketing space 41 the cap 4() isprovided with longitudinally extending lubricant passagewa-ys 42 whichcommunicate with the several annular valve chambers so as to lubricatethe gears and the bearing surfaces of the valves.

The cylinder liner construction as herein described has numerousadvantages over the usual constructions as it permits any number ofcylinders to be arranged en bloc giving extreme rigidity, characteristicof the all block casting designs, but without the numerous disadvantagesof the cast block design wherein the cylinders are cast integral withthe valve body. Heretofore the tendency has been to make the cylinderhead detachable, this being done to facilitate machining and to permitthe best arrangement of poppet valves. However, the detachable headrequires the use of copperasbestos gaskets which must be fitted withgreat care to prevent leakage under the severe internal pressure duringignition.

YW'ith the rotary valve in the present construction arranged as hereinshown and described, the head can bey cast integral with the liner andin consequence there is no possible danger of leakage where leakage withthe det-achable heads has been prevalent.

It will be observed also, that substantially ideal cooling conditionsare obtained. The head end of the engine carries an ample supply ofwater which effectively cools the parts where maximum Heat sencountered, including the walls about which the valves revolve, thewater jacketingl space being so arranged that the valve body and thepacking are maintained a-t a suitably low temperature. Not only is thevalve very well cooled, but it will be observed that it is not subjectedto the. direct flame' during explosion or combustion, and in fact theconstruction is such that the valve will run smoothly and very littlepower will be re- Additionally the short, straight, carefully designedpassageways leading to and from the cylinder, and the amply large portareas are conducive to a maximum volumetric capacity and eiciency. A

The valve itself is extremely simple, thereA being an absence ofnumerous small parts, the valve and its packing being designed not onlyfor simplicity of construction, and efficiency of operation, but ease ofmanufacture. The valve cannot stick or become seriously injured due toextreme heat 0r lack of lubrication, especially because the packingautomatically accommodates vitself to any conditions of 'expansion andcontraction, and it also automatically compensates for irregularities inthe walls of t-he cham.- ber, or to variations in diameter due to wear.A

Vhile I have shown the preferred construction, I do not wish to beconfined to the same as changes in details of construc tion orarrangement may occur to one skilled in the art, and I therefore aim inmy claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departurefrom the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having 'at one endthereof, inner and outer cylindrical walls forming a valve chamberwhoseaxis is coincident with the axis of the cylinder, a rotary opentopped cylindrical valve in said chamber provided with an offset taperedend portion, and a tapered step bearingsurface carried by one of thewalls of the valve chamber, and engaged by the tapered end portion ofthe valve.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having at the headthereof inner and outer spaced walls forming an annular chamber whoseaxis is vcoincident with the axis of the cylinder, said chamber havingat the ends thereof tapered surfaces forming step bearings, and a rotaryvalve in said chamber and seated on said tapered surfaces.

3. In an internal combustion engine,a cylinder having at the headthereof inner and outer spaced walls forming an annular chamber whoseaxis is coincident with the axis of the cylinder, said chamber having atthe ends thereof tapered surfaces forming step bearings, a rotary valvein said chamber and seated on said tapered surfaces, said valve having apacking for preventing leakage of gas.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a housing, a cylinder liner seatedin the housing and having a head, the head being spaced from thesurrounding portion of the housing forming an annular chamber whose axisis coincident with the axis of the cylinder, the head being provided,near the top and bottom of the chamber, with tapered surfaces, and arotary cylindrical valve in said chamber and resting on said surfaces. i

5. In an internal combustion engine, a housing, a cylinder liner seatedin the housing and having a head, the head being, spaced from thesurrounding portion of the housing formlng an annular chamber whose.

axis is coincident with the axis of the cylinder, the head beingprovided, near the top and bottom of the chamber, with tapered surfaces,and a rotary cylindrical valve in said chamber and resting on saidsurfaces, and a gear at the end of the valve for rotating the same.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a housing, a cylinder liner seatedin. the housing and having a head, the head being spaced 'from thesurrounding portion of the housing forming an annular chamber whose axisis coincident with the axis of thecylf inder, the head being provided,near the vtop and bottom of the chamber, with tapered surfaces, and arotary cylindrical valve in said chamber and resting on said surfaces,said valve comprising a valve body and packing surrounding the same forpreventing leakage of gases. l

7. In an internal combustion engine, a cast metal housing having acylinder opening and an internal shoulder between and at a distance fromboth ends of said opening, a cylinder liner seated in said opening andhavin between its ends an external flange resting onsaid shoulder, andmeans for securing the liner and housing together.

8. An internal vcombustion engine having a housing with a cylinderopening, the upper .portion of which is of larger diameter than thelower portion and there being an internal shoulder betweenrsaidportions; a cylinder liner seated in the housing and ing forming withthe surrounding wall of the housing a valve chamber, said liner havingbetween its ends a flange resting on said shoulder of the housing andforming the base of the valve. chamber.

10. An internal combustion engine having a housing with a cylinderopening, the upper portion of which is of larger diameter than thelowerportion forming a shoulder, a cylinder liner seated in the.cylinder open- 'ing of the housing, the portion of said linerprojecting above said shoulder of the housing forming with thesurrounding wall of the housing a valve chamber, said liner havingbetween its ends a flange engaging said shoulder of the housing andforming the base of the valve chamber, the upper surface of said flangebeing tapered.

l1. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having at the outer endthereof inner and outer cylindrical walls forming an annularvvalvechamber whose axis is co- Vincident with the axis of the cylinder, saidchamber having at its upper end a tapered step bearing, and a rotaryvalve in the chamber in the form of an open ended cylinder, saidY valvebeing provided adjacent its upperv end with an offset tapered portionresting on said tapered step bearing. VIn testimony whereof, I hereuntoaflix my signature. CLIFFORD S. GOBY.

